Changes in Youth Mental Health, Psychological Wellbeing, and Substance Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Rapid Review

Abstract

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers around the world have made efforts to assess its impact on youth mental health; however, the breadth of this topic has impeded a clear assessment of pandemic outcomes. This study aimed to address this gap by reviewing changes in youth (age ≤ 25) mental health, psychological wellbeing, substance use, and the use or delivery of relevant services during the pandemic. PubMed and Embase were searched in May 2021 to conduct a rapid review of the literature. The results encompass 156 primary publications and are reported using a narrative synthesis. Studies of mental health (n = 122) and psychological wellbeing (n = 28) generally indicated poor outcomes in many settings. Publications regarding substance use (n = 41) noted overall declines or unchanged patterns. Studies of service delivery (n = 12) indicated a generally positive reception for helplines and telehealth, although some youth experienced difficulties accessing services. The findings indicate negative impacts of the pandemic on youth mental health, with mixed results for substance use. Services must support marginalized youth who lack access to telehealth. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40894-022-00185-6.

The effects of COVID-19 on child mental and social health: biannual assessments up to April 2022 in a clinical and two general population samples

“…In addition, some studies have reported that girls and older children (13-15 compared to 6-12 years old) may be more strongly impacted by the pandemic (Panchal et al, 2021), but as pre-pandemic data are often missing, it is hard to conclude whether these are COVID-specific or general effects. Indeed, systematic reviews and meta-analyses conclude that the mental health of children worldwide was negatively affected during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (Ma et al, 2021;Panchal et al, 2021;Samji et al, 2022;Zolopa et al, 2022), but these interpretations were mostly based upon cross-sectional studies performed during the pandemic. Prospective studies on child mental health during the pandemic that include pre-pandemic measurements are scarce but do seem to confirm that predominantly affective problems such as depressive, anxious, and stress symptoms worsened in the first months after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Cross-cultural validation of the Worries about COVID-19 and its consequences Scale (W-COV) in adolescents and young people

“…The pandemic context presents remarkable psychological and emotional challenges for adolescents and young adults ( Zolopa et al, 2022 ). Worries related with the possible consequences of a new disease, as well as the limitations of social interactions, particularly influenced young people lives ( Brasso et al, 2022 ).…”

A cross-sectional study about coronavirus fear of Chinese college students in school lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Larger epidemics have now passed. However, sporadic outbreaks have repeatedly stimulated recollection of this painful experience, causing traumatic stress psychological disorder [28,29].…”